Lives of the Uchiha and Uzumaki
by JSCanimeLover
Summary: AU: It was only a matter of time before the Uzumakis and Uchihas mixed again. Multiple couples. Main SasuNaru, ItaDei, FugaMina
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Just as promised, my new story is out! For those of you who have not read my previous story Life of the Uchiha's and Uzumaki's, there is really no big need for you to go and read it now. This story is sort of based off of that story, but you can read this without having read the other. Besides, that story has been discontinued so there's no point really. Anyway, on to the new story! Hope you all enjoy!

**Summary - **It was only a matter of time before the Uzumakis and Uchihas mixed again. Multiple couples. Main SasuNaru, ItaDei, FugaMina

**Prologue - The End, The Beginning**

Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze. They were two men who met by chance. They were opposites. They were roommates. They were best friends. Fugaku was Minato's other half - his everything, and he liked to think he was Fugaku's.

Minato was sitting on Fugaku's bed next to the Uchiha himself. It had been quiet in the bare room, their belongings all packed and ready to leave along with the two young men and their college experience. The memories would still be there with them, and Minato could only hope that he and Fugaku would be able to make more with each other.

But before they parted ways for the time being, Minato wanted one thing from Fugaku. He wanted - no needed an answer to the question that had been circling in his mind the entire year.

"Fugaku…" Minato began; his voice quieter and far more serious than usual. "What's gonna happen when this is all over?"

He saw Fugaku's eyebrow rise slightly and realized he wouldn't get his answer so easily. And to add to the Namikaze's struggle, a knock sounded from outside the door.

Minato frowned slightly as Fugaku went to go answer the door. Once the door opened, a young woman stepped in, the door closing soundlessly behind her. She appeared to be a little younger than Minato; a year younger at the most. She had dark hair with a faint blue tint that ran down just past her shoulders. Her dark eyes were warm and inviting. A small smile adorned her beautiful, pale face.

Minato blinked and turned to his dark haired friend. "Who's this Fu?"

"Mikoto this is Minato Namikaze." Ignoring the question, Fugaku he motioned to the blonde man beside him. "He's a friend of mine." Mikoto bowed to the man in greeting, her voice just as sweet as her smile. "Pleased to meet you, Minato-san." Minato blinked before bowing as well. So she was Japanese and could speak fluent English? Where did Fugaku meet this girl? "Likewise, Mikoto-san."

Minato then straightened and turned to Fugaku, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Friend? Is that really all I get?" he tried glaring at the man half-heartedly before a smile appeared on his face when he could no longer keep up the half-assed act.

Fugaku didn't smile back. He watched the two and he felt himself having a little troubling saying his next words. _So unlike him_.

"Minato, this is Mikoto. She's my fiancée."

Minato froze. He swore he stopped breathing altogether. Mikoto looked worried as she turned to Fugaku in question. Ignoring her questioning gaze, Fugaku walked closer and Mikoto moved back to make room for the man. The raven reached up a hand to touch the blonde's face, hoping to snap him out of his daze but instead let his hand fall to the man's shoulder.

"Minato." said man blinked before he let a painfully fake smile take the place of his shocked expression. Fugaku could see right through it; he was sure. Mikoto too. But that didn't matter, he had a few things he needed to say.

Slapping the hand on his shoulder away from him - catching the shocked looks from both ravens - Minato spoke. "Sorry, Mikoto. It's just this was all so unexpected. No warning on my part." Minato laughed, Mikoto only growing more uncomfortable with each word that slipped from the blonde's lips. Minato was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to stop now that he had started. "I swear I can't believe it! To think that someone like _you_ would just waltz in here on a day like this - It's hilarious! I hope you know, Mikoto, that you sure are lucky to get a guy like Fugaku."

"Minato."

"Trust me. I would know!"

"Namikaze, that's enough!"

That made Minato stop, his head snapping over to the Uchiha. There was fire in his azure eyes and a scowl on his face. "Don't you ever call me that!" That was used for the people that worked with him; for people who didn't_ know him_. Fugaku grit his teeth, and willed himself to not grab the blonde. His _friend_.

Mikoto had stayed quiet, not saying a word; not interrupting. Minato wasn't sure whether he appreciated or despised her doing that. He had to admit though, she was a kind and beautiful woman. She didn't question Minato's reaction or his harsh tone, she just stayed quiet and observed. Her hands were held in front of her, her face impassive but relaxed. Minato could already tell she would make a great wife for Fugaku.

And he hated her for that.

Fugaku had opened his mouth to say something to Minato, but the sound of his phone ringing cut him off. He excused himself, albeit reluctantly, and took the call outside of the room. Minato heard the door close loudly, the sound echoing a few times before Mikoto's own voice took over.

"May I ask a few questions, Minato-san?" At the nod she received, the woman continued. "Did my fiancé not tell you about our engagement?"

"No. He didn't," Minato said, a frown forming on his face. "And I suppose you didn't know this would come as a surprise to me, huh?"

"Well it was a surprise to all of us, I'm sure."

Minato blinked, not sure what Mikoto had meant by that. "What?"

Before the Japanese woman was able to answer, Fugaku chose that moment to walk back in. His expression was hard and his eyes seemed darker than usual. Minato was sure he was the only person that could tell the difference.

"Mikoto, would you mind waiting outside for me? I'd like to have a few words with Minato."

"Of course." Mikoto nodded and turned to Minato. "Nice meeting you, Minato-san." She didn't get a response; Minato was too focused on watching Fugaku.

The door closed shut behind the woman. It was completely silent this time.

At first nothing was said between the two men. Just silence. Minato waited. He knew the Uchiha wanted to say something, but it seemed that he was struggling with his words. Taking the initiative, Minato walked forward and circled his arms around the Uchiha's neck. Fugaku flinched slightly and glared down at the shorter man but didn't move away.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Minato didn't appear fazed by the harsh tone from the Uchiha. He just smiled. "I think I should be asking _you_ that. Don't you agree?" The smile was there but his eyes were full of pain.

"Minato-"

"Was I not good enough, Fu?"

"Minato…"

Minato placed a finger on his soft lips to silence the man, a frown replacing his smile once more. "No. Answer my questions."

The Uchiha sighed, his eyes looking tired but still held that ever-present annoyance. "Don't make this about you, Namikaze."

It was then Minato's turn to sigh. "So that's how it is, huh? You're just throwing me away? I guess that answers my question. There is no us after this, right? But…there was an us-"

"No."

Minato glared at him. "What the fuck do you mean '_no_'? Are you just going to deny everything we had?!"

"What we had was nothing more than sex." Fugaku finally removed the blonde from him and took a step back, his face expressionless.

Minato, on the other hand, had so much emotion swimming through his eyes Fugaku was sure that anyone else but him would have drowned. He was used to this - reading the blonde like an open book. Minato could never hide his emotions well, and now that he was feeling so vulnerable and confused and hurt, he couldn't hide anything from the Uchiha.

"But I-"

"Don't say it. _Just don't_."

Minato choked back a sob, but he couldn't help the tears that were pooling in his eyes. "Fugaku, _please_."

Fugaku forced himself to resist the strong urge to hold Minato. He wished he didn't have to say these things, but he knew that he did. "Please what, Namikaze? I will no longer humor this petty relationship you have formed between us in your head. There was never anything between us, and now there never will be. You were convenient and good in bed, so I fucked you and you let me. Win-win situation, don't you agree, Namikaze? But I have a fiancée now so I have no more use for you."

Minato felt his fist clench at his side. He felt his nails dig into the skin, drawing blood and he hissed. "How can you do this? I thought I meant something to you!"

"Isn't it obvious? You thought _wrong_." And that was that. Those words were spoken so cold and heartless, and Minato couldn't take it.

Minato punched him without thought, and Fugaku fell to the ground cradling his sure to be bruised jaw. Minato fell to his knees and cried, and Fugaku left without saying a word.

…

Everything after that had been slow for Minato. He had planned to carry on with his life like he did before he had ever met the Uchiha. That proved to be impossible because he could not get the man out of his head.

Minato felt drained of all emotion. He didn't talk to anyone. He barely ate anymore. Hell, he couldn't even fall asleep at night. And if he did, he dreamt of Fugaku. Why couldn't he get this man out of his head? Why did he have to fall in love with him? Why couldn't Fugaku love him back?

Why did Mikoto get to have it all?

Minato really hated that woman. She just waltzed into Minato's life and stole Fugaku away from him. There was no possible way she could ever love him more than Minato. Yet, she was going to become Mrs. Fugaku Uchiha. How was that fair? God, Minato hated her.

Minato knew that he would never forget that day. And he knew he would never forget Fugaku.

Still, Minato chose not to dwell on the fact that he was and felt alone now. He'd had a life before the Uchiha and he would have one after him. All he had to do was get over him.

Minato wished it could have been that easy.

It felt like years before Minato was able to sleep without dreaming of Fugaku again. It felt like years before Minato stopped seeing his ex-lover everywhere he went. He knew it wasn't Fugaku. He knew that Fugaku would never come back to him. He was Mikoto's now. He knew that he could never love anyone again; not the way he loved Fugaku. Minato was sure of that.

That was until he met her.

…

His mother had passed away when he was young from some incurable illness, his father following a few years after. Minato, along with the corporation, had been left in the oh-so capable hands of his older brother and Minato's uncle, Jiraiya, when Minato had been ten years old. To everyone's great surprise, Hokage Corp. ran smoothly for a whole twelve years. Still, the man was as crazy as you could get and he had an infamous reputation to show for it.

But that had ended two months ago when Minato graduated. Jiraiya was now living his own life as the author of Icha Icha Paradise, some kind of erotic novel series that he had been working on since college and had become popular in a surprisingly short amount of time, and husband of the mayor of Konoha, Tsunade Sannin. Jiraiya, now known as Jiraiya Sannin, had taken the name of his beloved wife and given up on the fame and power he had once received from Hokage Corp. Months prior, Minato had inherited the company and Jiraiya moved to Konoha, a quaint town that had no time for big shots. It was perfect for anyone hoping to escape from a life of publicity.

During that time, Minato had been doing what he had always believed he was destined to do. The only problem was that Minato didn't feel right doing it. He felt like there was something he was missing, and he knew what it was but he refused to admit it. He hated waking up every morning to his cold, empty bed. He hated walking around his empty apartment every day, expecting to find someone there but knowing no one was. He had grown used to the presence of another by his side at every waking moment. He had grown used to eating small breakfasts every day with the one he loved before heading off to his first class. He had grown used to strong arms wrapping around his waist and soft lips on his neck. He had grown used to those rare, but memorable times when he would be able to cuddle up to his lover.

He had grown used to Fugaku. And now the man was out of his life for good.

Fugaku had already married Mikoto. The media had been happy to exploit it, and the people had been happy to know about it. For Minato, the wedding had just been another friendly reminder that Fugaku was someone else's now. Maybe, he had never really been Minato's. Would that make him feel better about his situation?

Still, Minato had lived through it. He continued to play his role in the world as president of Hokage Corp. He had lived his life the best he could for the time being. And that had lasted for all of two weeks.

It had been at a coffee shop when he met her - Kushina Uzumaki.

…

It had been a crappy morning, and not because of how crappy Minato was feeling. No. The blonde was sure anyone would agree that that day had been anything but cheerful.

The weather was dreadful. There was non-stop rain for hours, which left everything soaked. This included the poor, unfortunate people who had gotten caught in the storm.

Minato sat inside of a small coffee shop. The shop was cozy and warm to say the least, but that did nothing to brighten Minato's mood. The shop was getting crowded, anyway, from all of the people gathering there to escape the pouring rain.

Some people were regular customers, like Minato. They came almost every day and Minato had grown used to seeing their faces on a regular basis. However, there were people who Minato had never seen before, like the small family over in the corner of the shop. Minato had been watching them from the corner of his eye. He saw how the mother held the young child on her lap and ran her fingers through the short hair atop the girl's head. He saw the father gaze at them with love and devotion clear in his eyes, their umbrellas dripping wet beside him. The man wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed her forehead softly, and they both shared a smile. Their child giggled below them.

Minato wished that he could be like that one day. He wished that he could have a family to call his own. He wished to have someone to spend the rest of his life with. Even if it wasn't with Fugaku.

The sound of the little bell jingling above the door captured Minato's attention. A young woman, about Minato's age it appeared, hurried into the shop. In her left hand she held a soaked umbrella and a small, yet present frown on her face. She had extremely long, vibrant red hair that seemed to glisten with the rain and hung down past her thighs. Her light gray eyes scanned the vicinity for a placed to sit down and rest her feet.

Feeling both generous and slightly intrigued by the woman before him, Minato called out to her.

"Excuse me, miss. Would you like to sit over here?"

Surprised at the kind offer, the woman looked over at Minato. She let a small, warm smile spread across her face as she walked over to the table. She sat down in the seat across from Minato at the table and placed the umbrella on the ground beside her. "Thank you, sir." Minato cringed slightly at being called 'sir'. He'd always hated that. He hoped that on his day off, he could at least go the day without being called _sir_.

"Minato." he said quietly. He wasn't even sure if the woman had heard him.

She must have for she looked at him in shock. "What?"

"You called me sir. That makes me feel old, so just call me Minato."

Minato was awed by the beautiful smile he received. It highlighted her equally beautiful, pale face. "Kushina." It was now the blonde's turn to be surprised.

"Pardon?"

"Well, you called me 'miss' earlier and that kind of makes me feel old," she laughed. "You can just call me Kushina, Minato."

Minato smiled and said, "Well, okay, Kushina. Do you like coffee because I could by you one if you would like? I'm sure it'd warm you up-"

"Oh no!" she exclaimed, cutting him off, before blushing when she noticed the attention she was receiving from other people on the shop. She lowered he voice and began again. "You really don't have to do that, Minato. I'm already sitting here with you when you'd probably rather be alone and-"

"Kushina," Minato cut her off gently. "It's fine, really. I'm enjoying your company."

The red headed woman couldn't help but blush slightly at his words. "Really?" Minato nodded and smiled.

"So, why did you think I'd rather be alone?"

"You seemed so…Well, you just looked so down and I figured you'd rather be by yourself and deal with whatever was bothering you." Minato was again amazed by this woman. How could she read him so easily? "I'm just guessing here, but you probably just lost someone dear to you and you don't really know how to live your life without them now. You feel like your whole world has just been turned upside down. Like your heart was ripped from your chest and-and-"

Minato watched as Kushina took a deep, shaky breath and turned away from him. Just as he was about to break the intense silence that had settled upon them, Kushina turned back to him with a smile. "Something like that, right?"

Minato nodded. "Yes. How did you know?"

Her smiled turned sad then. "That look you had on your face when I walked in here - I had seen that same look every time I looked into the mirror."

"Oh." Minato mumbled, feeling stupid. He had forgotten that he wasn't the only one with problems or losses. "If you don't mind me asking…who did you lose?"

"My sister." Kushina lowered her head, her bangs shielding her eyes from Minato's unwavering gaze. "She was the only family I had left. She died last month in a car accident, and I hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. I loved her so _much_."

Minato didn't really know what to say after that, so he went for the simple "I'm sorry." Maybe he was apologizing for bringing up a topic that was obviously a sore subject for Kushina. Maybe the apology was for prying into the woman's business to begin with. Maybe he was apologizing because he felt he could relate…but it was different. Sure, he'd lost his parents, but he was never close to them. He barely remembered his mother and his father put work before anything else; including his only child. The person he lost…

"What about you?" Minato snapped out of his daze then. "Who did you lose?" Minato could only blink. Him?

How could he possibly describe Fugaku? His lover? Best friend? True love? Sure, Fugaku was all of that, but he was _more_ than that as well. Those words didn't sum up what Fugaku Uchiha was to Minato. Fugaku was…

"My everything."

Kushina stayed silent for a short while, not really sure what to say. Minato didn't blame her. He felt so stupid doing this. Here he was; Minato Namikaze, president of Hokage Corp. and a man at that, was sitting here _venting_ to someone whom was practically a stranger. Yet, there was something about this stranger that made Minato throw caution to the wind and want tell her everything he had kept inside for so long. Maybe that's what he needed to do. Maybe he needed someone like Kushina to be his therapist. Maybe he needed someone to take away all of his pain. Minato needed a friend.

"I'm so sorry, Minato."

"…Thank you…Kushina."

If only Minato had known she would have grown to become so much more.

…

Minato had never expected to fall for Kushina Uzumaki. Yeah, that was her full name. He had learned that one day after a long afternoon of alcohol and various rounds of sharing stories. It had been nice and they had both learned each other's full names. Being intoxicated at the time neither seemed to realize the effect of Kushina discovering who Minato really was. She could turn out to be like those other people who had tried to use Minato, but no, Kushina was different. She was kind and caring and trustworthy and beautiful. Minato had easily fallen in love with her. Still, it came as a surprise to them both - falling in love.

It had been on a day the complete opposite the day he met Kushina when Minato decided that he didn't want to live the life he was living anymore. There was something missing - and not someone to love and be there for him, no he found that. It was something else. He wanted to settle down and live a new life with the woman he loved. No more media or business meetings or waking up early in the morning or anything else that Minato would be happy to say goodbye to.

So it had been on that day when Minato went to his boss, the CEO of Hokage Corp., and told him what he had planned for his future.

He knocked on the office door at a time he knew the man wouldn't have any company. The answering call was almost instantaneous and Minato entered the familiar room. The elderly man in question sat behind his desk and a faint smile appeared on his face at the sight of Minato. Minato couldn't help but smile back.

"Good evening, Mr. Sarutobi."

"Namikaze, how nice of you to stop by. Is there something you need?"

Minato took a deep breath and said, "I'm really sorry, sir, but I can't continue to do this."

"'This'?"

"Working for you - working here at Hokage-"

"Namikaze, just what are you trying to tell me?"

"I quit."

"What the hell is the meaning of this, Namikaze?!" Minato gaped openly at the elderly man. For all of the time he had known Sarutobi, Minato had never once seen the man get upset to the point of yelling. Sarutobi was a man that always kept his cool and never let his emotions get the best of him. "Do you know how hard keeping this business up and running was?! Do you have any idea?! I had three students prepared to take over this corporation in my absence, but two of them ran off to god knows where with each other and the other isn't even fit to be around people!"

"Your father was Jiraiya's student, right?! And then your father showed you everything you needed to become president and maybe even a future CEO! Why do you think it was so easy for you to become president fresh out of a mere four years of college? You two were the only hope for the business that I had left. I already lost your father and I'm not going to lose you too!"

Minato yelled back at him. "I don't want to live this life anymore! I want to move on and do the things that _I_ want to do!"

"How can you just abandon everything we had worked so hard for like that? Did all of these opportunities given to you really mean _nothing_?!"

Minato faltered for a split second. No, he didn't want to think about _that_. "Of-Of course not! I appreciate everything you and Jiraiya and my father have given to me, but I feel like it's time for me to do something else with my life."

Sarutobi studied Minato, his eyes searching for what was buried deep inside of those azure eyes. He sighed after a long moment. "Okay, Minato, this is your choice. But let me ask you one thing - What do you expect me to do once you leave?"

"Let Suna take over Hokage."

"_Excuse me_?"

Minato knew it seemed ridiculous but Suna had been looking to overpower Hokage from the very beginning. They were a powerful and well-respected business, and had circumstances been different, Hokage and Suna both would have prospered greatly if they had decided to merge. With Minato gone and Sarutobi undoubtedly retiring soon, there would be no harm in letting Suna take over and make Hokage their own.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying, Namikaze?"

"Oh come on, just think about it!" Minato walked closer to the desk and planted his hands on top of it, a look of determination clear in his eyes. "What's the point of waiting for Hokage to crash and burn when we could just let Suna take over before any disaster hits? Suna is a great company and I'm sure they won't be losing power anytime soon. You should just call them up now and make some sort of deal and-"

Sarutobi cut him off, his hand raised and his brow furrowed. "This is not some kind of game, Namikaze. This is a _business_. We can't just give it away and start over; we have to build up from what we have. That's what I've been doing for the past forty years!"

"And that's the thing," Minato pressed on. "You've been working for a certain goal; hoping to make it to the top and it all came crashing down. Sure, I'm part to blame, but you should have known this wasn't going anywhere when you lost Jiraiya and Tsunade-sama. And Orochimaru had been destined to bring this business down from the beginning. And you know it!"

The old man released a sigh. All of the arguing back and forth was making him tired and his head hurt. Sarutobi knew that everything Minato was saying was true, but it really wasn't that easy. "Namikaze-"

"Do you really want to wait to see the precious business you worked so hard to get where it is now slowly falling apart? I understand that you don't want to just give it away, but maybe you can work out some kind of deal with Suna. You can work side-by-side with the CEO there, right?"

The elderly man couldn't help but chuckle at Minato's determination and ignorance. That was _definitely_ not how it worked but Sarutobi could see where the young man was coming from. He meant well.

"I'll see what I can arrange." Minato smiled and turned, ready to walk out when he heard Sarutobi's departing words.

"You know you're like a grandson to me, right, Minato?"

Minato's face broke out into a grin that Sarutobi knew he would never forget. "Yeah. I know, old man."

…

It had been a big change - no longer being president of Hokage Corp. Still, Minato managed nonetheless.

Another month had passed and during that time, Minato followed through with his dream. He had proposed to Kushina and they had moved to Konoha not too long after. It was just in time too, for Kushina was pregnant with their first child. Kushina was ecstatic and Minato couldn't believe he was really going to be a father. They both looked forward to their future together, and Minato could happily admit he was in love again.

Yes, Minato Namikaze could finally say that he was happy. Still…

Minato knew that he would never forget that day. And he knew he would never forget Fugaku.

Yet, none of that mattered because he was perfectly content being with Kushina. His best friend. His lover. His fiancée. She was even soon to be the mother of his child. Yes, Kushina Uzumaki was many things to him now and Minato loved her for it.

…

If only that happiness could have lasted forever.

* * *

**Merry Christmas! (to those who celebrate) So, yeah, I got the story out on time. I'm proud of myself and of this chapter. I think it came out pretty good. Though, it's pretty long for a prologue. Still, I hope to have updates out each month around the end of said month. If not and I update the following month, I was being lazy and/or suffered from writer's block (sorry in advance). If it comes out earlier than expected - Happy Birthday My Followers & Favorite(r)s! **

**So, the ages are the same as in my last story and everything (I believe). Minato - 22, Fugaku - 23, Mikoto - 21, Kushina - 22**

**Oh, yeah and Sarutobi - OLD**

**So, if you noticed similarities and such, then good for you! I think some things were kinda similar. Anyway, I think I've typed to myself enough...**

**Reviews are highly appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** - These are so stupid.  
**Summary - **It was only a matter of time before the Uzumakis and Uchihas mixed again. Multiple couples. Main SasuNaru, ItaDei, FugaMina

**Chapter 1 - Fucking Weirdoes **

A young boy the age of sixteen awoke to the sound of his alarm loudly going off. Being so used to the familiar, yet forever annoying sound, the boy easily slammed his hand down onto the machine to silence it. He mentally prepared himself to get out of his warm bed and got ready to carry on with his normal morning routine.

"Summer's way too fucking short," the teen, or more precisely; Naruto Uzumaki, grumbled as he rose from his comfortable bed before falling backwards dramatically. There weren't enough days during summer vacation, Naruto always thought. And there weren't enough words in all of the human languages to describe how much Naruto dreaded this day. Or at least, he didn't think there were. Naruto did only know one other language besides his native English, and he still couldn't even speak it as fluently as he might have liked. Still, the first day back to school after an all too short summer had to be the worst day of the year, besides his older brother's birthday, but that was a different topic for a different time.

The blonde literally rolled out of bed - too lazy to actually sit up - and winced when he fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Definitely _not_ one of his best ideas.

Naruto stood up and sluggishly moved around his bedroom. He pulled out his school uniform and saw that it was wrinkled, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Though, he knew his mother would give him an earful for it. After throwing his clothes onto his bed, Naruto went to his bathroom to go take a quick shower and brush his teeth. Once he was done with that, he would unsuccessfully try to skip out on family breakfast before being dragged to the dining room by either his ticked off mother or his grinning, sadist brother. After eating, Naruto would start on his long walk to Konoha High School. That was Naruto's daily school day routine. It was boring really; doing practically the same thing every day. At least breakfast was always something new, with his family being crazy and unpredictable and all. Still, even at school it was relatively the same thing every day.

He hoped something would change that soon.

…

"Jeez, it's 'bout time you got your ass down here, dipshit. Any longer and the food would've gotten cold" was the first thing Naruto heard when he arrived at the dining room. Used to his brother's unnecessarily harsh words, Naruto just grinned and flopped down into the chair next to said red head. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, sat down next to his father, an annoyed frown set on her face. She was starting to get tired of dragging her son all over the goddamn house.

"Hello, family." Naruto grinned. "Kyuubi," he said as somewhat of an afterthought, just to piss his brother off. Just as expected, Kyuubi growled in an animalistic way and made to hit the blonde, Kushina instantly and expertly flinging a fork at him before he got the chance. Kyuubi practically howled in pain. Kyuubi then directed a fierce glare across the table at his mother who just shrugged it off, not the least bit phased by the look.

The father of the household, also known as Minato Namikaze, smiled fondly at his family's antics. "You seem to be in a good mood today, Naruto."

Said teen blinked, slightly puzzled. "Aren't I always?"

"You're always a bitch," Kyuubi grumbled but went ignored by his family, though, his mother did scold him on his language before going back to her breakfast as if nothing else had been said.

Minato shrugged in reply and took a sip of his coffee. "You just seem a little happier than usual, is all."

Kushina chose that moment to speak up. "Happy to see your friends again?"

"I've seen them almost all summer."

"Got a girlfriend, Kit?" Kyuubi chuckled at the faint blush that covered his brother's cheeks.

"Eh? You know I don't, Kyuubi. Stop asking already!" Naruto snapped, and just to add fuel to the blonde's fire, Kyuubi stabbed his fork onto Naruto's plate and took a few strips of bacon. "Kyuubi, you bastard! Stop taking my damn bacon!"

Shoving the bacon into his mouth, Kyuubi began chewing obnoxiously before opening his mouth and speaking through a mouth full of food. "What ya say, Kit? You want this back?"

Kushina was caught between laughing, frowning in disgust, and throwing something hard at her oldest son. She settled for the last. "Kyuubi Uzumaki! What have I said about taking other people's food? Act civilized at the table, will you?! This is supposed to be a nice family breakfast, don't you have any manners or sense of control…"

Naruto had tuned his mother out after that, and instead stole a whole syrup covered pancake from the red head's plate, some of the syrup dripping onto the table in the process. Grinning victoriously at his unsuspecting barbarian of a brother, Naruto ate the rest of his food in complete happiness.

"What the fuck? I thought I had more pancakes than this. Kit, did you- OW!"

"Don't curse in this house, Kyuubi!"

…

On his walk to school, Naruto usually caught up with a few of his friends, all depending on what time he left. If he left the house relatively late; around ten minutes before school (resulting in him arriving just barely before the late bell rang) he would most likely see Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Chouji Akimichi on the way. The three of them lived on the same street and always walked to school together. It had been like that since middle school and hasn't changed since. The only reasons Naruto could guess the three always left for school late was either because Ino and Chouji were too busy trying to drag Shika out of bed, Shika and Chouji were rushing to get Ino out of the bathroom, or Shika and Ino were struggling to get Chouji to leave his breakfast behind and go to school. But those were only a guesses. Who knows why those three are always so late?

If Naruto were to leave at his usual time at about twenty minutes before school officially started, Naruto would always catch up with Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga and Shino Aburame. They always left at the same time each day over the years because Neji refused to be too early or too late. Naruto swore he was such a stick and the mud and no fun to be around, but he stuck to his cousin, Hinata, like glue. He followed her around practically everywhere, and even went as far as starting school a year late to stay with her throughout her school years. Some people tended to think that it was sweet and protective of him, but Naruto just thought it was kinda creepy and maybe a little _too_ protective.

Hinata and Kiba were good friends of Naruto and they went way back. He and Kiba had been practically inseparable for most of elementary and middle school. They would always pull pranks on their other friends and teachers and wind up getting sent to the principal's office. The only reason Naruto actually knew Shino was because he was _always_ with Kiba. If people thought Naruto and Kiba were inseparable, Kiba and Shino were one and the same. Besides, Shino creeped him out sometimes. He was way too quiet, especially when compared to Kiba's loud and obnoxious personality; much like Naruto's own personality. That was like the only reason they got along so well.

However, today was one of those rare and extremely lucky occasions where Naruto would be able to get away from his crazy family at an early time. The blonde would meet up with his best and closest friend, Gaara Sabaku, who happened to live next door to him. Sure, Gaara was pretty quiet too, but Naruto always knew what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes. And don't get him wrong, it wasn't like Gaara was a mute or anything; he would just rather keep quiet than waste his voice responding to idiots like the people he was surrounded by practically every day. Or at least, that's what Gaara had told Naruto once. And, yeah, Naruto figured it was probably the truth - not that he thought Gaara would lie to him, anyways.

And even though Naruto was far from quiet, Gaara could easily read what Naruto couldn't or wouldn't say with a quick glance at his telltale face. Naruto sometimes wondered how Gaara could read him so easily, but anytime he asked, the red head would just say that the blonde was like an open book. Naruto always shrugged it off after that. He figured it was just years of practice, which was actually true. Even Kiba and Hinata and _Shikamaru_ had trouble understanding him sometimes. And Shika was a genius. Though in his defense, Naruto didn't think he was the _easiest_ person to understand, but still. That had to count for something, right?

Naruto had known Gaara since they were fresh out of diapers. Though, their memories didn't go back that far, they both knew that they hadn't gotten along at the very beginning. Naruto's bouncy personality had been a little too much for the young Gaara, even being a toddler himself, and Gaara had almost instantly kicked him out of the sandbox they had been playing in and claimed it as _his_ sandbox. It had been an incredibly hilarious and memorable moment for everyone except for young Naruto. The adults, as well as Naruto and Gaara's older siblings, just continued to laugh while Naruto balled his large blue eyes out. It wasn't until Gaara's sister, Temari, had picked Naruto up and managed to calm the hysterical blonde down that the toddler had finally ceased his tears. Naruto still loved that crazy and crude blonde to this day. But…a sisterly kind of love, of course.

The two sixteen year olds walked in silence for a short while before Naruto spoke up, his voice full of excitement. "Hey, Gaara, you think we'll have Kakashi-sensei this year for English?"

Gaara didn't even look at him when he answered. "How should I know? You have your schedule, don't you? Just look to see who you have."

Ignoring the red head's reply, Naruto continued. "I heard that all of the juniors last year really looked up to him. Though, I also heard that a lot of them failed his class but still thought he was a great teacher. Weird, right? I really hope I get to be in his class, but I'm kinda worried I'll fail too. I'm not really good at English, so I hope it's really not as bad as people made it seem. What about you, Gaara?"

"Don't really care."

Naruto frowned, though Gaara didn't see. "You're no fun, Gaara."

Said red head turned to his best friend and rolled his eyes in a way of saying 'You know just as well as I do that you don't mean that'. Naruto's frown only deepened at that since it was in fact true. Still, instead of stating the obvious, Gaara said, "Yeah, well you're a baka." Though, Gaara supposed that was pretty obvious too.

Naruto only grinned at the familiar insult before playfully nudging his friend. "Well, I'm _your _baka," he said with a laugh. Naruto being Naruto meant it in the most playful way possible, but Gaara felt a wave of possessiveness wash over him from his friend's words. Gaara opened his mouth to say something, but just smiled faintly and lightly nudged his friend back.

Yeah, he supposed Naruto was his. And he just knew that wouldn't change any time soon.

…

Naruto and Gaara got to school twenty four minutes before the first bell, which was usual when walking with Gaara. And just as usual, they took their spots at a single table in one of the lunchrooms. Students were allowed to sit in there and do homework, catch up on sleep, chat with friends, or just plain relax until the late bell. Naruto, actually following through with what Gaara had said earlier, pulled out his schedule and checked over what classes he would have for his junior year of high school. He did in fact wind up in Kakashi-sensei's class, but he had him last period, which was ninth.

Having been at the same school two years prior, Naruto pretty much knew his way around the entire building. And Konoha High was pretty damn big. Basically, Naruto would have little to no trouble finding his way to all of his classes. Now, getting to class on time was a completely different matter. The blonde boy had a tendency to stay in the hallway with his friends for longer than the given five minutes, especially after lunch. And those friends were usually Ino and Kiba, whom when mixed with Naruto created a terrible trio. After lunch, which Naruto had eighth period this year, he and Kiba would always pull one prank or another on some unsuspecting victim. It was usually the freshmen they picked on since they were such easy targets. It was funny as hell, and so worth getting caught by a teacher or the principal. Unless the person catching them happened to be Gaara or Shino.

Then, it was Ino who took the responsibility of getting them out of trouble.

Though, most of the time Naruto, Kiba and Ino would just be wandering the halls aimlessly and would wind up getting caught without a pass. Then, they'd be told to go to class or else they'd have to sit through detention. Since detention was supervised by Anko-sensei - and you _definitely_ did not want to be left alone in a room with _her_ - the three troublemakers went to class. Still, some teachers weren't as nice as to give them a warning. Iruka-sensei was one of them.

But that wasn't _all _the time that they did that. There were times where they'd just hang out after school or over at one of their houses. Never Kiba's house, though, because Ino was terrified his dogs.

…

Naruto sighed for the umpteenth time in the cafeteria. What did Gaara expect him to do while he sat there reading his book on…whatever the hell he was reading this time. The blonde had been sitting here for ten minutes without anyone to talk or anything to do but stare at people sitting near him, and Gaara should know just how short his attention span was. Sparing a quick glance at Gaara just to see he was still engrossed in his book, Naruto sighed again. Dramatically, of course.

"What is your problem?" Gaara's voice snapped Naruto's attention back to him.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Naruto said unconvincingly. He wasn't surprised when he heard Gaara's slightly annoyed sigh as he closed his book and put it back in his book bag.

"If you really think I'm going to believe that then, you're even dumber than I thought." Naruto pouted childishly at the insult but decided to tell his friend that _he_ was the problem. He wasn't granted the chance.

"Hey! Uzumaki!" Gaara frowned at the interruption from none other than Kiba Inuzuka, one of the biggest annoyances in his life, but greeted him and the others coming into the cafeteria behind him nonetheless.

"Kiba, I'm surprised you're not late like you were last year," Naruto easily teased, a relieved grin spreading onto his face. It was something him and Kiba always did, with the occasional insult thrown in.

"Hey, shut it! I'm just shocked _you_ didn't get locked in the girls' bathroom," Kiba threw back just as easily. Ino, coming up behind Kiba, rolled her eyes when Naruto instantly shouted a "That was one time!" and she not-so gently pushed Kiba aside.

"Already with you two morons, _seriously_?" Twin shouts of "Hey!" sounded around the cafeteria and Ino chuckled. Some things would never change.

"Don't put me in with this loser!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at the brunette in front of him, before he felt a hand whack him upside his head - _hard_. The blonde turned to Gaara and gave him one of the most pitiful looks any of them had ever seen.

Neji then stepped forward and took a seat next to Gaara who then turned to him in slight shock, but no one seemed to notice. "Don't make such faces, Naruto. You're a man, so, act like one."

"Oh, shut it, Neji! That really hurt! And Gaara didn't even hit you so-"

"You're too loud," Gaara sighed, cutting the blonde off. Naruto then proceeded to mumble incoherent, pointless insults under his breath. He barely noticed the rest of their usual group coming in and sitting down. Kiba took his usual seat on the other side of Naruto, while Hinata took her seat beside her cousin and Ino sat beside her. Shika had already been sitting at the table, though no one noticed until now, and he was already taking the opportunity to get some sleep. Chouji was seated next to him eating a blueberry pop-tart, with Shino between him and Kiba.

"I'm going to have to agree with Gaara. You are being unnecessarily loud."

Ino sighed in annoyance. "Neji, stop being a dick."

"_Excuse me_? What the hell did you just call me?" Neji's eyes narrowed in a way that would have been intimidating had everyone at the table not been so used to it. Though, it seemingly never worked on Ino or Gaara. She was too fearless and Gaara was too apathetic to really be bothered by it.

Kiba discreetly shuffled closer to Shino, though, not discreetly enough for the latter not to notice. "A dick," he answered and when Neji's glare turned to the brunette, Kiba quickly defended himself. "Hey, that's what she said!"

Naruto laughed and Ino once again rolled her blue eyes. "So immature, Naruto."

Kiba shook his head, a grin splitting his face. "Nah, he's just perverted. There's a difference."

"Oh? Maybe that's why he doesn't have a girlfriend," the blonde girl mused. Naruto frowned beside Kiba, his elbow shooting out to jab his friend in the ribs.

"I'm right here, assholes."

Ino then smirked devilishly, a way to tease her favorite blonde popping into her head. "But you _don't _have a girlfriend…_do you_?"

Naruto blushed and sheepishly looked to the side. "Well…no, I don't but-"

"Then it's settled!" Ino happily and suddenly announced, clapping her hands together once. "Naruto needs a girlfriend. He's been single for far too long!"

Naruto only blushed harder, Gaara mentally chuckling at his expense. "N-Not so loud, Ino!"

"Oh, come on, Naruto. You can't tell me there's not someone you like."

Naruto frowned slightly in thought. "Well, there's Sakura-chan…"

"Oh god. Don't tell me you still like that forehead girl."

"You don't stand a chance dude," Kiba said, patting Naruto on the back in pity before the blonde shrugged him off. Shino just nodded beside Kiba, Neji and Gaara humming in agreement. Hinata decided to stay silent, Chouji took a bite of his sandwich, and Shikamaru…was still sleeping.

Ino chuckled, "He's right. She'll never go out with you. And that is why you need a girlfriend!"

Naruto sighed in annoyance. "I don't _need_ anything. I'm perfectly fine being single."

"That's what all lonely single people say, Naruto."

"And people who actually mean it." Naruto insisted, though it was proven futile when Ino just ignored him.

"It really is okay, though. No one is looking down on you for being single."

Naruto felt his eye twitch and he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "You guys are all single too, you know." Kiba shifted in his seat, but instantly froze when he felt Shino's eyes on him.

Ino smiled sweetly and Neji cringed slightly at how evil she managed to make it look. "Yes, but I'm happily single."

"Then why can't I be?!"

Shikamaru raised his head from its comfortable spot on his folded arms and frowned at his blonde best friend beside him. How the hell was he supposed to sleep through all of their noise? "Why does it matter whether he gets a girlfriend or not?"

"His eyes are telling me that his heart is lonely, Shika."

…

"What?"

"Shut up, Kiba!"

"But you're not making any sense!"

"Will you two shut up?" Silence reigned after Gaara's outburst. Granted, it wasn't really an outburst, but anyone with half a brain could tell that he was pissed. The red head's eyes were narrowed and he was glaring daggers at the two idiots he saw as nuisances. On instinct, Ino opened her mouth to retort or say anything back to Gaara but quickly thought better of it. Kiba on the other hand…

"She started it." …just had to open his big mouth.

Gaara's glare intensified and Kiba actually whimpered pathetically at the fierce and downright frightening look. "Say another word, Inuzuka, and I swear you will regret it."

Shino sighed before speaking in his deep, monotone voice, "Please refrain from threatening him. I apologize for his idiocy."

"Shino," Kiba cried in despair. He honestly felt betrayed. "You're supposed to be my best friend and here you are-"

"Speaking the truth," Shino finished and Kiba sighed dramatically before proceeding to fall just as dramatically onto said best friend's shoulder. Shino, who was seemingly unaffected by the new position, kept his face blank. Ino leaned over to whisper something in Hinata's ear, who then blushed as a result. Neji raised an eyebrow at the pair of girls and turned to Gaara to see that he was watching Kiba with curiosity. Gaara took notice of how Kiba and Shino were almost similar to Naruto and himself, but there was something different…

"Hey, Shino, when did you get here?" All heads turned to Naruto as soon as the words left his mouth, and he just blinked at all of the astounded looks he received. "What?" he cried defensively.

It was actually Shino who answered, much to everyone's surprise. He was talking a lot more than usual today. "I've been here the entire time."

"Oh…I didn't even notice you."

"Such a way with words," Ino said sarcastically.

Neji nodded to himself before coming to his a conclusion. "_That_ must be why he doesn't have a girlfriend."

Naruto blushed once again. "Will you get over that already?!"

Ino grinned suddenly, and Naruto silently wished that he hadn't said anything. When Ino made that face, someone was going to be tortured. And Naruto was usually the victim. "Okay, okay. Gossip time!" she clapped her hands, her grin only widening when Naruto and Kiba gulped simultaneously.

Shikamaru lifted his head for a millisecond to mumble some words that went unheard by the people around the table. "Loud, troublesome woman."

"I heard that there's a new student in our grade and that he starts tomorrow."

Kiba just shrugged uninterestedly. "So? New students come every year. What's the big deal?"

"Well, rumor has it that he comes from some kind of rich family."

"Could just be a rumor."

Ino shook her head. "How often is it that you hear about someone rich in _Konoha_?"

Kiba shrugged. "She has a point."

Ino nodded, smiling slightly. "Exactly, he's in the guidance office right now getting his schedule."

Neji gave her a weird look. "How do you know all of that?"

She held up her phone. "Sakura just texted me. She's been following him around since he walked in the building."

She received an even weirder look from Kiba. "And you're fine with that?"

Ino shrugged uncaringly. "Yeah, it's not like I'm the one getting stalked around school."

"You and Sakura are fucking weirdoes."

Ino, ignoring Kiba's remark, looked over another text from her best friend/rival and a grin slowly stretched across her face. "Apparently he's extremely gorgeous and has a really nice ass."

Neji's face instantly twisted in disgust. Naruto tilted his head to the side in question. "Wait. Girls actually care about that stuff?" he asked with genuine curiosity. Kiba even leaned forward, awaiting Ino's answer.

"Of course. Just like guys like looking at girls' asses, there are girls who like to see what the guys are packing - from the front too, of course."

"You haven't looked at any of our asses have you?" Kiba asked jokingly, Naruto chuckling beside him. He was extremely surprised when Ino instantly answered with a straight face.

"Well, duh. Naruto actually has an apple butt."

Gaara furrowed his non-existent eyebrows. "An…apple butt?"

Yeah," Ino nodded. "Like your butt is just perfectly rounded - like an apple." Before anyone could once again comment, Ino continued with her earlier topic.

"Anyway, Sakura says there's some older guy with him - probably his brother - and he's just as gorgeous, if not even more."

Hinata blushed. "Is this really appropriate, Ino?"

Ino blinked at the raven haired girl in genuine confusion. "Why? What's wrong with it?" Hinata, the poor girl, was at a loss of what to say, so she just settled on looking down at the table, her blush deepening.

Ino shrugged at her friend's actions and turned back to Naruto. "So, Naruto, why don't you become friends with the new kid?"

Blinking, the blonde looked at Ino in shock. "What? Why?"

"Aren't you curious of whether he actually is rich or not?" she asked before adding as an afterthought. "I know I am."

"Not enough to become his friend, no."

Pouting, Ino decided to try a different tactic. "Well, then do it for me. If you become his friend, I could talk to him and then he'd inevitably want me to be his girlfriend. And if he's really as gorgeous as Sakura says, I'm willing to do almost anything. Not that I should really have to."

Neji scoffed. "So conceited."

Ino sucked her teeth in annoyance. "I don't want to hear that from _you_, Neji."

"Shut up," he snapped before smirking like the bastard he is. "I can't believe you really think he'll like you?"

Ino glared at the brunette and actually leaned over Hinata to get up in his face, trying her best to be intimidating. She knew she couldn't intimidate Neji, though. No one could. And the only people who seemed to be able to talk sense into the egotistical male were Hinata, Shikamaru and - surprisingly enough - Gaara.

"What? You don't think he'll like me?"

"Once he gets to know you - of course not." Neji smirked at the blonde girl whose rage was quickly increasing. Hinata, who seemed to notice the threat placed on her cousin began pulling on Ino's uniform blouse, quietly pleading for her to calm down. Ino reluctantly sat down, though, she didn't stop glaring at Neji.

"You're being a dick, Neji."

"No I'm not. You just can't handle the truth."

"Whatever." Ino knew Neji was purposely trying to get under her skin, which he was infuriatingly good at, so she willed herself to not punch him. It didn't matter if he actually deserved it or whatever. "So are you going to do it or not, Naruto?"

"Might as well get on his good side before he finds out how annoying you are," Kiba mumbled and luckily went unheard by Naruto who undoubtedly would have started yelling like the idiot he is. Blondes have such short tempers.

Naruto frowned, still unsure about the entire idea. "Why me?"

"Because you're the friendliest of us all here," the blonde replied simply. They all knew it was probably true, but still Naruto wasn't so sure.

"Well, what about-"

"Neji's a dick, Gaara would probably scare him away, Hinata's too shy, Shino is kinda creepy, Kiba's too much of an idiot, Shika's too lazy and probably isn't even awake right now, and there's no way Chouji wouldn't gross him out with his eating habits. Although, Naruto, you eat like a pig too but only when it comes to ramen. The point is, you have the best chance of befriending a complete stranger than any of us," she said without hesitation. She then added a personal thought with a smile. "And _I_ can't do it because I don't want to overwhelm him with my beauty too soon."

They all frowned and glared at her bluntness, as well as the fact that she didn't seem to care what they thought about her outright insulting them like that. "More like overwhelm him with your ego," they all thought.

"So, will you do it?"

"I…" Naruto paused, thinking it over. Did he really want to do it? Sure, he was good at making complete strangers his friend, but he usually met the person before he tried. Naruto had always been good at judging people for the most part, and he may be a little too trusting but that didn't matter in the end. With the new kid, Naruto didn't know anything about him. Hell, he didn't even know his name!

"Oh, Naruto. Forehead just texted me and said his first name is Sasuke." Gaara's attention snapped from Neji who had been saying one thing or another to him at the sound of that name. Neji frowned slightly at having Gaara's attention taken away from him.

Naruto just sighed. The things he did for his friends.

…

Naruto walked into his house after walking home from school with Gaara. They would have gotten to their street sooner had Naruto not persuaded - begged - Gaara to buy him some ramen from a small nearby restaurant, Ichiraku. Ichiraku hadn't been crowded, though, Naruto could never fathom why it wasn't packed 24/7. Their ramen, the best thing to ever have been invented in Naruto's opinion, was delicious and the people who worked there were great; especially the owner, Teuchi-san, and his daughter, Ayame. Anyway, due to the fact that there weren't many people around, Naruto and Gaara were able to get in and out in a short amount of time. _After_ Naruto got his three bowls of ramen, of course. Gaara refused to spend any more of his money on such unhealthy food. He never voiced his opinion though, because he knew how much his best friend adored ramen.

So, after bidding farewell to his red haired friend, Naruto closed the front door behind him and nearly ran into a hard chest when he took a step forward. Startle and slightly annoyed by the person blocking his path, Naruto looked up into devil red eyes.

He never understood why his brother chose to get contacts when his eyes were perfectly fine. And they were _red_ contacts. The young blonde supposed it matched his devilish personality.

Naruto felt extremely uneasy with his brother's piecing stare being directed at him. He opened his mouth to ask Kyuubi what the hell he was staring at, when Kyuubi suddenly grinned wolfishly, though, he looked more like a fox that way. Naruto unconsciously took a step back. Unfortunately, his back met with the front door, and he watched - slightly afraid - as Kyuubi stalked towards him, the grin never leaving his face.

"Hey, Kit, wanna do me a favor?"

"Not really," Naruto answered as he tried to push past his older and _much_ bigger brother, but Kyuubi just kept on blocking his way. "Kyuubi-"

"Why not?" Kyuubi interrupted, Naruto frowning as a result.

"Because every time you ask me to do you a favor, I either wind up doing something I don't like or I get in trouble. So, no, I'm not going to do you a favor."

"Take out the trash for me," Kyuubi said, seemingly ignoring his younger brother's words. It came out as more of an order, than a suggestion, and Naruto knew that it was most likely intentional.

"I'm not going to do _your_ chores for you," Naruto snapped. "Hell, I barely do mine."

"Take out the trash," Kyuubi repeated.

"No."

"Take out the trash, Kit."

"_No_."

"Take out the fucking trash, you piece of shit!"

"What part of 'no' do you not fucking understand?!"

The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat snapped both boys' attention to their mother. Kushina had a deep, disapproving frown on her pale face, and a metal spatula swinging from one of the fingers on her left hand slowly.

Naruto mentally panicked at the sight of the spatula in her possession. His face, however, showed what he was feeling at the moment clearly. Kyuubi kept a cool expression, seemingly unfazed. They all knew that was most definitely not the case. "Uh…hey, Mom."

"Naruto. Kyuubi. What have I told you two about cursing in this house?"

"In my defense, I was trying to get Kit _out_ of the house," Kyuubi stated.

"Kyuubi, shut up and take the trash outside already."

"But I don't want to!"

Kushina glared up at her son. "I don't care, just do it. You're only _three feet_ away from the door!" She turned to her other son, who was snickering at his brother's expense. "Naruto, go do the dishes."

His laughter immediately stopped. "What?! Why me?"

"Because I said so." Oh…how Kushina loved saying that to her hard-headed children.

"But-"

"Don't talk back to me, young man," she warned. "Just go do what I say."

"I still don't see why _you_ can't do the dishes," Naruto had the gall to mumble under his breath, thinking that his mother wouldn't hear it. Please, after years of dealing with the two _boys_ standing in front of her - one of which she actually had to look _up_ to - Kushina had developed a kind of keen hearing for things like that. _That _being her disrespectful sons' backtalk that they continued foolishly believe they could get away with.

Kushina sighed heavily, her patience finally wearing out. "You _ungrateful_ little…!" she cut herself off, not wanting to let a single curse slip from her lips while she was inside. If they had to follow her rules, so did she. The red head took a deep breath in hopes of calming herself, and when it didn't Kushina grabbed her boys by the backs of their neck and roughly shoved them towards the door. She ignored their protests and picked up the spatula she hadn't even realized she dropped. She'd just clean it up later with the rest of the dishes. "Get out."

Kushina almost smiled at the startled looks she received. Kyuubi's face was just priceless. "_What_?" Kyuubi shrieked, though he'd deny it later. "You're kicking me out?! I have nowhere else to live!"

"Oh, calm yourself, I'm not kicking you out of the house permanently - though I really should. Besides, it's not just you," she said. "Naruto, you get out too."

"What the hell did I do?!"

Placing her hands on her hips, Kushina showed her authority over the two knuckleheads in front of her. "If you are going to live under this roof, you're going to have to chip in around here. You two aren't babies anymore, so if you don't want to do anything you can get the hell out of my house."

"But-"

"Nope. I don't want to hear it," Kushina cut him off, her free hand held in front of his face. "I'll be nice and let you two come back when dinner is ready."

"Hey, wait-"

"I'll call you, okay?"

"Mom-"

"_Get out_."

…

Ten minutes later, Minato walked into his kitchen to find his wife doing the dishes and humming some unrecognizable tune.

"Is there any reason Naruto and Kyuubi are sitting outside on the steps?"

Kushina just continued humming, obviously not bothered by her husband's incredulous tone. "That's weird…I thought Naruto would have gone over to Gaara's by now. Oh yeah, don't let them inside, 'kay?"

Minato tilted his head in confusion before shrugging. He'd come home to stranger things.

"So what's for dinner?"

…

There was really only one word to describe what Naruto was doing right now: sulking. On his front steps. The steps that led to his front door. The front door he was not allowed to enter through. So yeah, he was sulking cause he was hungry and bored.

Too busy internally wallowing in his misery like the little drama queen Kiba and Kyuubi always claimed him to be, Naruto failed to notice his brother turn to stare at him, a frown of his own on his face. "Hey, dipshit." Naruto's head snapped up to look at his brother beside him - it was a common name Kyuubi used when addressing people. "Stop making such a pitiful face, you look fucking retarded."

"Shut up, Kyuubi."

"Why don't you go over to your boyfriend's house?"

Naruto sighed in annoyance. "Gaara's _not_ my boyfriend." he snapped. "And I'm sure Gaara's busy right now."

"Why'd you automatically assume I was talking about Gaara?" Kyuubi asked in amusement, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Because you _always_ call him my boyfriend. Really, Kyuubi, we're just friends." Naruto answered before adding as more of an afterthought, "Besides, I don't even swing that way."

Kyuubi just chuckled, unconvinced. "Whatever you say, Kit."

"Don't you have somewhere else you can be annoying?"

Kyuubi shrugged. "Not really. Besides, I'm bored, and when I'm bored I get horny. It's too bad I can't think of anyone who would let me fuck them on such short notice…" he trailed off in the thought, most likely racking his brain for a name…or at least a number. It didn't really matter what their name was anyway.

"Kyuubi!" Naruto shrieked, utterly disgusted at hearing his brother talk about that. "_Gross_."

"Don't worry, Kit," Kyuubi said, a shit eating grin spreading across his face. "You'll understand once you have se-"

"Okay, I'm done." Naruto stood, his face twisted into a disgusted frown and hands fisted at his side. "I'm going over to Gaara's. I can't sit here with _you_ any longer."

"Later, _virgin_." Kyuubi burst into a fit of laughter as his little brother walked away before abruptly stopping when he realized his little brother was walking away…leaving him all alone on his front steps. The steps that led to his front door. The front door he was not allowed to enter through.

_Damn it_.

Kyuubi looked around his quiet street in hopes of finding something to amuse him - though it was unlikely that he would. His street was _so_ fucking boring.

His eyes stopped on the house next door to his own on the right side. Not on the left where the Sabakus lived. He was surprised to see a moving van in front of the house since that house had been vacant for as long as he could remember. And it was a big house too - probably the biggest and most expensive house in their neighborhood.

Kyuubi frowned, which soon turned into him glaring at absolutely nothing. He hated new neighbors because he hated people. Well…he hated strangers more, but the same thing applied to some people he knew as well. Basically, the idea of having new neighbors _most definitely_ did _not _appeal to the red head.

The raven haired beauty he saw walk out of the house _most definitely_ changed his mind.

* * *

**Chapter 1 is done & Chapter 2 is already in progress!**

**Okay, so for the record, I have almost no idea what the shit I'm talking about when I'm talking about business and such in this fanfic. I just make rules and stuff up as I go. So if anyone can actually tell how much bullshit I'll be writing in this story (cuz I'm sure it'll be a lot) then please tell. Or don't, it doesn't really matter.**

**If you see errors, I'm sorry. I read over each chapter at least twice before uploading them, so I do try. And I have no one to look it over because I never let people read the stories I'm working on (you guys are an exception) and the people I know would think I'm crazy if they read them anyway, so yeah.**

**Also, the happenings in Chapter...4, I believe, will be similar but very different from my other story in the chapter called "Uzumaki, Meet Uchiha". So yeah, there's that. Also, character roles have changed a lot and some have been added and taken out. **

**Oh! I know nothing happened in my other story, but this story will live up to its rating. Sooner or later, that is. Just be patient and you won't be disappointed (hopefully). There are ****_a lot_**** of pairings after all ;) Though, not all of them will be focused on too much.**

**Anyway, as you know, reviews are highly appreciated!  
Till next time, JSCanimeLover**


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